5 Skills I have Because of Lolita Fashion
Upon self-reflection, it’s always surprising to me how much I have learned from lolita fashion. That is to say, there are a great many things that I have learned in regard to the fashion, which is especially true in relation to my own lolita style. In addition to this progression, there are quite a few handy life skills that I have perfected over the years. Many of these abilities stem directly from my interest in lolita fashion.
Here are five helpful skills that I may have never learned without the pursuit of lolita fashion.
1. Buy from Multiple Platforms
An interest in lolita, since it is such a niche fashion, encourages a person to pursuit multiple stores. This is the only way to obtain fashion related and unique pieces. As a beginner lolita, I was careful to buy from approved sources. The shops were straight forward to order from. Each beginner order from easy-to-use sources, such as Etsy, Bodyline, and MintyMix, gave me the confidence to buy from more complicated sources. Now, I can say that I know how to order from lolita brand name lolita shops, Taobao, and third-party Taobao websites. These shops are also handy places to find components for my other hobbies, and my friends are thankful for this great knowledge as well!
2. Use A Shopping Service
In order to order from multiple lolita sources, such as Taobao and mbok, a shopping service is required. A shopping service is an individual or a third-party that purchases the items you'd like from a country limited marketplace on your behalf for a small fee. Through lolita, I have learned how to use a shopping service for Chinese and Japanese exclusive websites! Just as the ability to order from multiple platforms, knowing who you need to assist you in order to buy from these places is key!
3. Sew
The ability to be able to sew is something that I have always wanted to do, but never had the patience to start. This is difficult to understand because my mother is a professional seamstress. I would make small things, such as outfits for my Barbie dolls, and school projects, but nothing that was serious. Once I became interested in lolita, the desire to actually learn how to sew grew. I began with easy tasks, such as reattaching buttons. Now, I can make small accessories that I can be proud of! While I am far from being able to create my own full lolita clothing pieces, I am off to a great start! The am happy to have the ability to sew small projects for my ball-jointed-dolls and the ability to fix and create aspects of my cosplay. This is a skill that can be used over many aspects of my life!
4. Know the Quality of Materials Online
Or, at least be able to tell the quality of good quality material from one of poor quality. No one wants a petticoat that is itchy or terrible quality lace. After all, lolita fashion is all about decadence! We cannot have some poorly constructed costume grade lace ruin what appeared to be a lovely new blouse. When I purchase new lolita pieces, or even material in order to make small accessories, I scrutinize the material before I add it to my cart. Of course, the ability is also something that I can use for all my other hobbies! From the fabric for crafts and cosplay costumes to doll clothes, the ability to discern the poor-quality items from those of a higher standard is a useful skill indeed!
5. Create Online Content
In my opinion, this is, by far, the most impressive skill that I have learned from lolita fashion. I create and maintain my own online content. I maintain a fashion blog, this website, and create and edit my own YouTube videos. All these interests have required me to learn quite a few special skills!
I started my fashion blog on Blogger originally. While the online portion was a learning curve, Blogger gave me a safe and free platform to hone my editing and writing skills. Once I felt that I had exhausted what Blogger had to offer, I turned my attention to the creation of my personal website. I wanted to have one website that would be able to house all my various interests and my all-important fashion blog. With the help of Weebly, I edited and created this website. I had only done minor changes and updates to websites for family, so this was an extreme test of my determination! Once the website had been created and finished, I continued to maintain this lolita fashion blog. Since the blog has been active for over two years, I must admit that it is a personal success!
My latest interest has been video creation. I absolutely love online videos! I follow various channels in relation to all my hobbies. I felt that it was time to create a few videos of my own. One of the reasons that I love my fashion blog is that I can use the information to help other Lolitas, and it is a time capsule of my own personal fashion growth. I would be able to accomplish these aspects with videos as well! I have only shot and edited a video once in my life before my channel, and it was awful! The video had been made for a dear friend when my fiancee and I sold at an anime convention over 5,000 miles away. Not only are the videos a challenge when shooting and editing, but it also forces me to practice public speaking. Before lolita, this was an action that I dreaded. Thankfully, it is something that I have become more confident in. With this new addition of videos, I can share my interest and my fashion journey with others through another great media form!
I still have a long way to go to prefect these particular skills, but I am eternally grateful to have gained multiple abilities from this one great interest! Who knows what I will learn next? What skills have your learned through Lolita? I would love to read your answers!